2010 Top Advisor Rankings: Delaware

Ranked #1: 2 Cynthia ♦ Cynthia Hewitt, Merrill Lynch. The financial-advisory business is first and foremost a communications business, says Cynthia Hewitt. That's especially so as you become more entwined with clients' families: "You walk a real tightrope with parents and children - between the generations." Often parents worry that they will sap a child's incentive by talking about the family's wealth, even with adult children. Hewitt's take: "I encourage them to be as open as possible with kids. The more secrets there are, the more potential for misunderstanding." But her practice is more than hand-holding. Hewitt, 58, believes that some of the best investment opportunities today lie overseas, and with non-U.S. multinationals. Case in point: Auto ownership in Asia is expected to skyrocket over the next decade. But when Tata Motors in India can produce a car for $2,500, and Detroit spends $6,000 on wages, health and pension costs per car, it's pretty clear, she says, who is going to capture market share. - MICHAEL SISK